Greg's Wanderings

Author: Greg H

  • Trail Crew workout

    Trail Crew workout

    Not all my training is pure hiking.  On Thursday, July 17, I completed my fourth volunteer mission with Trailkeepers of Oregon as we worked to restore trails in the Columbia Gorge that have been closed since the devastating Eagle Creek Fire, which burned over 50,000 acres in 2017.  Eight years later, two key trails remain closed.

    Thursday, I joined a crew of seven working on the Tanner Butte Trail (Trail #410) which has all but disappeared as underbrush has covered the trail and grown tall.  On our crew last week, a couple of our team pushed their way through the underbrush for close to a mile marking where the trail should be with colored ribbon. 

    It was easy to see where our work from last week stopped, as we abruptly hit a wall of vegetation.  The photo below is the “before” shot of what the trail looked like before our efforts began.

    Somewhere in there is a trail.

    The work mainly consisted of using large lopping shears to take down the tall brush.  Then fire rakes were used to pull up some of the underbrush and expose where plants had taken root in the trail pathway.  Then it was work and hands and knees to clip the small brush (blackberry, Oregon grape and other viny plants) from the trail.  We also encountered two trees that had fallen across the trail.  As we had not planned for these, the largest saws we carried were 21” hand saws, which meant each tree (larger around than a telephone pole) took an hour or more for a two person team to cut a gap for the trail.

    After a hard day’s work, another few yards of trail have been cleared.

    After a full day’s work in the sun, we made about 100 yards of progress.  Just six more miles – and several more years – and this trail may be reopened.   I do want to stress that the trail remains closed to the public and the gate at the base is locked.  We were working under the authority of the US Forest Service, which allowed us to pass through the gate.

    If you love the outdoors, I encourage you to consider volunteering for a trail crew or making a monetary donation to help fund TKO’s work.  Cuts in federal funding have left a $500k gap in TKO’s budget for this year.  Any contribution of time or treasure is appreciated.

    One cool thing about our trail crew this time is that we had two women on vacation from New Hampshire who joined us.  They were touring Oregon for a week and one of them worked for a company that awarded extra PTO for doing volunteer work.  It was great meeting them and having them donate a day of their vacation to restoring this trail.

  • Sleeping gear

    Sleeping gear

    I feel like I have spent more time pondering and fretting over what to carry for sleeping than just about anything else.  My plan is to mostly sleep in alberges (special hostels just for pilgrims) and what is provided for you can vary dramatically.  On top of the variability of what is provided is the fact that I’ll likely be starting in hot weather in southern Portugal and finishing in cool autumn weather in northern Spain.

    After much consternation, I’ve decided to take both a silk sleeping bag liner for warmer nights and a lightweight sleeping bag for cooler evenings or when the alberge doesn’t provide blankets.  The sleeping bag liner is from Sea to Summit.  I opted for the rectangular option versus a mummy as I don’t like feeling bottled up at my feet.  It’s a silk blend which I chose because I have learned that bedbugs can’t penetrate a silk fabric.  Yes, bed bugs are a thing and I’m taking a variety of precautionary steps to avoid them (another blog topic). This liner is ultra-light at only 160 grams.

    My sleeping bag is also from Sea to Summit and is the Traveller 45F Down Bag/Blanket.  It’s not going to keep me warm if I go snow camping, but the 45 degree rating should take care of the most chilly nights I’ll encounter and I can add my liner inside of it for additional warmth if needed.  It will be the heaviest thing I carry (except the pack itself), but at 585 grams (1.29 pounds) it’s about as light as you can get for a sleeping bag.

    My sleeping gear is rounded out with a set of ear plugs and a sleeping mask.  Some of the alberges have rather large bunk rooms and these will help me sleep through the snoring and flashlights that might go on.  I will also have my headlamp as part of my sleeping equipment.  The headlamp features a red light setting so if I decide to leave in the morning before daylight, I won’t blind people as I round up my gear.

    All the sleeping gear fits into the compression sack for the sleeping bag

    All of these items fit neatly into the compression bag for the Traveller.  When compressed, all take up the space of a cylinder about 4 inches by 6 inches.

    Total Weight:826 g (1.8 lb)
    Total Weight in Pack:826 g (1.8 lb)

  • Electronics

    Electronics

    I would love to say that I am going to totally disconnect from the world for five weeks and travel without any electronics.  But that would be a lie.  While I know you could do that with the aid of a printed guidebook, I like the ability to track my daily distance, communicate with alberges in the town ahead and stay connected to family and friends.  So I will be traveling with limited electronics.  In my case, that includes my iPhone (15 Pro Max) and Apple Watch. To keep them charged, I’ll also have various methods of powering them in my electronics kit.

    Phone – while not the newest phone out there, I am very satisfied with my iPhone and its picture-taking abilities.  This means I don’t need to pack a single-purpose camera.  In a later post, I’ll dive into the must-have apps that will be of most use to me during my travels.

    Watch – I purchased an Apple Watch at the beginning of the year.  At the time, I was living by myself and my sister had recently fallen on her stairs and injured herself.  Fortunately, she had family in the home to take her to the ER for her broken ankle, but it got me thinking that having a device with fall detection would be a useful item for someone living alone.  This replaced a Fibit that adequately tracked my steps and other health metrics, but I really like the integration of the apps on my phone. 

    Wall charger – the plan is to start each morning with a fully charged phone and watch.  But sometimes when you get to an alberge, the power outlets are limited and in high demand from others with the same objective.  My tactic is to get a European wall charger (2 round prongs) with six charging ports.  That gives me plenty for all of my needs plus 3 or more for others to utilize. So if all the outlets are in use, I can ask someone if I can plug in and then have their devices share my charger.  The charger includes three high speed USB C ports and three older USB A ports.

    Power bank – When hiking, if you are using a device to track your progress, it will be continually pinging GPS satellites and can drain your device in under 8 hours.  For this reason, I’ll be bringing a 10,000 Ma battery pack.  I’m still testing two different models.  One has a larger footprint but has the built in magnetic connectors for charging both my phone and watch.  It also has both a short USB-C and USB-A cord that pulls out from the side.  The other is more sleek, but requires me to carry more cables.  The combined weight of the pack plus cables make the two a push from a weight standpoint.  I will be testing the recharging time for each, as well as how much of its capacity it takes to recharge both phone and watch.  There will be another post diving into this in more detail.

    Cables – I will be taking a short USB-micro to USB-A cord no matter what. This will be how I recharge my headlamp as needed.  I’ll also need a USB-C to USB-C for charging my battery pack.  The two other potential cords would by my USB-C to Lightning for my phone and the proprietary charging cable for the watch.

    Total Weight:726 g (1.6 lb)
    Total Weight in Pack:160 g (5.6 oz)
  • Pack and other carriers

    Pack and other carriers

    Backpack – Next to your footwear, your pack is likely the next most important item on your packing list.  It needs to be large enough to hold your stuff – but small enough to keep you from bringing too much.  I strongly recommend purchasing your pack from a reputable outdoor store that can help with both the selection and fitting of your pack.

    Osprey Stratos 34

    For this trip, I chose an Osprey Stratos 34 Liter back.  It came with a built-in rain cover.  The pack has an arched frame that has a mesh that sits against your back and space for air to flow.  The hip belt has zippered pockets on each side for easy access items.  The main compartment is accessed from a zipper on top.  There are two smaller pockets on top with mesh liners for valuables and other quick-access items.  Besides the bottom pocket where the rain cover lives, below the main compartment is another zippered area originally intended for carrying a sleeping bag.  I’ll be using this chamber for my sandals – so they don’t get other items dirty – and my rain jacket – so I can access it in a shower without getting any of my other gear wet. 

    Besides all the zippered pockets (8 total), there are oversized pouches on both sides for water bottles and straps for attaching things to the outside of the pack. With all this. The pack is still small enough to be a carry-on piece of luggage for my flights!  (1500 grams/3.3 pounds)

    Fanny pack – While the bulk of my gear will be in the Osprey, every Camino hiker should have a fanny pack to act as an over-sized wallet.  Most wear these not across your back, but in front for easy access to money, passport, snacks, phone, sunscreen, etc.  Mine is an REI Co-op Trail 2 Waist Pack. While any little fanny pack will probably do, what I liked about this one was the abundance of pockets.  There is a narrow front pocket, a large main pocket and inside the main pocket are two zippered “slip pockets” where valuables can hang out.  The overall size is 2 liters, which should provide enough room to toss in some fruit or other snacks for the trail.  While you can drop your backpack and leave it with confidence most places, you NEVER let you fanny pack out of your sight.  (113 grams)

    Day pack – another pack you ask?  Why yes.  But this one is tiny and serves a couple of purposes.  It folds up on itself and when folded is about the size of a chicken egg.  It weighs less than 4 ounces (110 grams).  The two primary purposes are as a grocery carrier and a laundry bag.  But if you are having a rest day, but still want to see the sights of the city, it also makes a great day pack.  I bought mine a couple years ago for a trip to SE Asia.  It’s the 16 liter version of 4Monster Hiking Daypack.  (110 grams)

    Dry bags – with most items being stored in one giant pocket of your pack, a system to keeps things organized will save you time and a lot of hassle.  Using dry bags not only keep like items together, but also have compression features to squeeze things down and provide some degree of protection should you encounter heavy rain.  I purchased a 5-piece set from Frelaxy.  The bags are color-coded and each a different size (3, 5, 10, 15 and 20 liter).  While I haven’t finalized my packing plans yet, I have my outer clothing in the 15L and my daily wear in the 10L at this point.  I don’t see me taking the biggest bag, but will likely use the 3 and 5L for Electronics and Miscellaneous.  (181 grams – total for 4 bags)

    My 10L dry bag is my daily clothing. Compressed down to about 3L.
    15L bag with my “extra” clothing: Fleece, long pants, running shorts and compression leggings.

    Toiletry bag – I have a Travelon Compact Hanging Toiletry Kit that I bought on Amazon.  It folds up to about 9″x5″ and has two zippered mesh pockets and three mesh elastic pouches for small bottles.  It has a fairly large plastic hook so if you don’t have counter space, you can hang it on a towel hook. (91 grams)

    Carabiners – I have a couple of loose super lightweight carabiners that I intend to bring in case I need to hang things from the outside of my pack. (15 grams total)